


What Words Can't Say

by Pearl_Unplanned



Series: Cap_Ironman Bingo 2015 [17]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Cap_Ironman Bingo, Getting Together, Language, M/M, Magic, Stony Bingo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-20
Updated: 2016-01-20
Packaged: 2018-05-15 04:03:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5770546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pearl_Unplanned/pseuds/Pearl_Unplanned
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a mishap with a witch, Tony's left unable to talk to anyone, and unable to understand a thing that they say to him. Without being able to talk, something that Tony relies on far to heavily, how will Tony ever be able to sort out his 'personal issues', one that may revolve around a certain super-soldier?</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Words Can't Say

**Author's Note:**

> Cap_Ironman Bingo prompt: Language. But it has nothing to do with AoU, sorry.

 

            As the white light faded, Steve searched the battlefield for his teammates, _needing_ to make sure that everyone was still alive, that no one had been injured during the last event. The large figure of the Hulk was evident against the smoke, and Black Widow was beside him. Steve caught sight of Hawkeye across the street, gathering some arrows, and Thor was standing not too far away from him right now, picking up the shield to offer to him.

            But Iron Man... Steve's eyes roamed the land, finally catching sight of his armored comrade. Steve breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that everyone was still standing, everyone was still breathing. The glowing eyes of the Iron Man suit glanced over at him, and Steve knew that Tony was making sure the whole team was there, too. Steve let his shoulders relax for a moment as he took his shield from Thor.

            A loud screeching noise filled the air, and the witch-creature that had been destroying the city rose up into the air. She was the one that had caused the bright light—Steve thought that he'd heard the word 'spell' in there somewhere. But there was no time to ask her what she'd done, because the skin and flesh started peeling off of her body, disintegrating and becoming one with the air as every part of her disappeared.

            "Looks like that's the last of her, hmm?" Clint said over the communication line. "Everyone okay?"

            "Think so," Steve murmured, but when he glanced over at Thor again, the god had a too-serious almost-frightening look on his face. "Thor?"

            "Something is wrong," Thor said, his voice echoing in the empty space. "Something is very wrong."

            Steve looked sharply over to where the Hulk was when he heard a roar, but Natasha was kneeling there with Bruce in her arms. He looked exhausted, but there was still a smile on his face. Moments later Clint was joining them, and Steve couldn't help but smile upon seeing them, because they were all so perfect together. He envied them a little, wishing that he had what they had. Only... not with them, with someone very different.

            Tony was walking towards them, and Steve's gentle smile turned into a wide grin when he saw Iron Man. But then Thor stepped in front of him, holding out his hand to stop Tony.

            "Man of Iron, is everything alright with you?" Thor asked.

            Tony's faceplate flipped up, and he had the most confused look that Steve had ever seen on his face. In fact, Steve wasn't sure if he'd ever seen Tony look that confused, because Tony was a genius. When Tony opened his mouth, though, what he said wasn't English. In fact, it wasn't any language that Steve had ever heard before. But what was weirder was that Tony was staring at _them_ like _they_ were the ones who were speaking nonsense.

            "Just as I feared," Thor muttered, shaking his head. He put a hand on Tony's armored shoulder, but the Iron Avenger flinched away from him, eyes still wide and fearful.

            "What happened to him?" Steve demanded, scared of what that witch might've done.

            "The she-witch must've picked up on friend Anthony's... personal problems," Thor said, and the rest of the team started wandering over, unsure of what was causing their teammates distress. "I have seen this before, I fear."

            "How do we _fix_ him?" Steve asked, and he noticed that the yelling seemed to really be freaking Tony out right now. He couldn't imagine how they all must've sounded to Tony, but it was probably something along the lines of how Tony sounded to them at the moment. Steve copied Thor, putting a hand on Tony's shoulder, but this time Tony didn't flinch away enough to pull himself free from the blond's grasp. Knowing that words of comfort would be nothing to Tony right now, Steve tried offering him a comforting smile. Tony still looked confused, but Steve sensed that he wasn't going to try to run away, so it felt like an accomplishment.

            "Until he's able to resolve whatever problem that caused this, the Man of Iron will remain in this state," Thor said.

            "How are we going to explain that to him if he can't understand us?" Clint said. Steve had almost forgotten that the other half of the team had wandered over. Thor or Bruce were the two that Steve was waiting for an answer from.

            "Well we could try writing it down, but if this is magic, then he's probably not going to be able to understand it," Bruce commented. "Thor, does what happened to Tony have anything to do with what happened to Tony?"

            "Everything," Thor replied.

            "Then Tony's lack of communication, for whatever the cause, is why he's unable to communicate right now," Bruce sighed, running his free hand through his hair. His other hand was still holding up his pants. "Perhaps it would be best to get him off the streets so that the whole city doesn't know about this. Okay?"

            Steve nodded and turned his attention back to Tony. Now how was he going to get Tony back to the tower without saying anything to him? When Steve focused on Tony again, Tony seemed to do the same. There was a look on his face that told Steve that he was trying to figure out what happened. Steve glanced around and pointed over at the tower, then to Tony, then back to the tower. Tony frowned and said some more nonsense. Steve put a finger to Tony's lips to get him to stop talking. He pointed to himself, shook his head, then put a hand to his ear. _I don't understand_ , was what he wanted to say, but he couldn't, not without confusing Tony.

            A look of realization crossed Tony's face, and his mouth hung open. Tony's lips twitched, like there was something that he wanted to say, but he knew that Steve wouldn't understand it. Tony took a step back, pointed at the tower, then fired up the suit. The faceplate flipped down, and Steve watched Tony shoot off into the sky, heading straight for the tower.

            Steve sighed. "This isn't going to be easy, is it?"

            "Not if Tony's going to have to work through some problems without knowing what he's got to do," Bruce muttered. "I'll see you guys back at the tower then, hmm?"

            "Yeah," Steve said, still staring off into the sky where Tony had disappeared. This was going to be challenging.

 

            When the light cleared, Tony was standing alone, and the freaky witch thing that had been muttering some really weird shit to him had disappeared, too. He couldn't hear anything, there was still a ringing in his ears, and his systems didn't seem to be working too well, so Tony just looked around to see if his team was okay. It didn't take long for him to spot everyone, but there was definitely something wrong. His communicator had broken, but the way that their mouths were moving... he couldn't read a thing they were saying.

            Tony frowned and started walking over to them. They seemed distressed, and Tony wasn't exactly sure why. The creature had disintegrated, they'd _won_. It wasn't like anyone was in any danger anymore. It wasn't until he got closer when Tony realized what was wrong.

            Thor put an arm out in front of him, but it wasn't that which stopped Tony. No, it was the nonsensical _nothing_ that came from Thor's mouth, in some language that Tony had never heard before. Tony flipped his faceplate up, wondering what was going on. What had happened to Thor that made him talk like that?

            "Guys, what's going on? What happened to Thor?" Tony asked, confused about what the witch must've done to his teammate.

            But then Thor said something to Steve in that nonsense language, and Steve _responded_ in the same, meaningless language. All Tony could do was stare at them, wondering if _all_ of his team had been affected. And if so, how come he too hadn't been affected by whatever that witch was muttering? Thor reached over and put a hand on Tony's shoulder, but Tony was already freaking out. He flinched away, his mind trying to solve the problem. There’s no way that the witch could've replaced his friends with aliens, right? Not in the blink of an eye.

            Steve suddenly got very loud, and Tony took a step backward. He was trying to take deep breaths, but it wasn't working very well.

            It wasn't until he tried to leave when Steve's arm suddenly shot out and grabbed him on his shoulder, making Tony freeze in place. There was a gentle smile on Steve's face when he looked over, and Tony couldn't deny that the smile did calm him down enough to not leave. At the moment, he really just wanted to go figure out what happened and why he couldn't talk with anyone.

            Tony started trying to solve what happened, while slightly paying attention to what his teammates were 'saying'. He got even more worried when everyone seemed to be talking in that some nonsense language. But then suddenly Steve was staring at him, and Tony focused on his teammate because he _didn't know what else to do at the moment_. Steve pointed at the tower, then to Tony, then back at the tower. Ah, his team couldn't understand him, either.

            "Do you want me to go back to the tower?" Tony asked, wanting to test it out one last time. But then Steve's finger was on his lips, and wow, Steve's hands were surprisingly gentle. He made some hand gestures, and Tony could guess that he was saying _I don't hear_ or _I don't understand_. The second one made more sense to Tony. That's when it hit him. The witch must've cursed _him_ , and only _him_. Tony's mouth dropped open. What did he _do?_ He needed verbal comfort from Steve, he needed to talk with Bruce about how he was going to fix this, he needed to _be with his team_ while he could still understand what they were saying.

            _Fine,_ Tony decided, taking a step backward so that he was able to blast off into the sky. His scanners weren't working, and Jarvis had stopped talking to him when Tony realized that he couldn't understand his AI. This was going to be a long day.

 

            Back at the tower, Tony was already out of the suit, waiting for them at the bar. There was a drink held firmly in his right hand, and a pissed off look on his face. Steve had been the third one to arrive at the tower, behind Tony, then Thor. Thor was pacing in the living room.

            "I can return to Asgard, and see if there might be a way to get him the message," Thor said, gesturing to Tony, who looked like he was trying his best to ignore them. "If he knew what he had to do, I feel confident that the task would be fulfilled."

            "Do you think that there might be a way to do that?" Steve asked, and Thor nodded, looking very sure of himself.

            "If a solution were somewhere, it would be in Asgard," Thor said, reaching for his hammer, which flew over to meet him. "I shall return promptly."

            And with that, he headed over to the roof. A flash of lightning let Steve know that Thor was gone. He sighed and walked over to Tony, pulling a chair over to sit beside him. Steve didn't want to startle Tony, if Tony didn't realize that he was there, so instead he just cleared his throat to catch Tony's attention. Tony glanced over at him, an angry look on his face, and Steve was completely unprepared about what to do. His surprise must've been enough for Tony to realize that he was glaring at him, because Tony sighed. The brunet reached over and poured two more drinks before sliding one over to Steve. Tony clinked their glasses together before he downed whatever it was.

            For a second, Steve wondered if Tony knew what he was pouring, but shrugged instead and downed whatever alcohol Tony had given him. Tony looked surprised, since Steve never actually drank the alcohol that Tony gave him. Tony grabbed a pen and a piece of paper and wrote something down, passing it over to Steve. Steve glanced at the paper, sighed, then did the _I don't understand_ motion again. Tony made a frustrated noise, crumpling the page before tossing it across the room angrily.

            Steve tried putting a hand on Tony's shoulder, wishing that he could calm him down and tell him that everything was going to be alright, but instead of comforting him, the gesture seemed to make everything worse as Tony slammed his head down onto the bar table. Steve flinched away from him, not wanting to make it more awkward than it already was. When he moved away though, Tony shot him the most pitiful look that he'd ever seen on his friend's face before.

            He bit his lip before he could say, _it's going to be okay._ Tony wouldn't hear that, and he didn't want to freak Tony out more than he already was.

            "Hey Steve!" Clint shouted as he, Bruce and Natasha wandered into the room. Steve jumped up out of his seat, pressing his finger to his lips. Tony slammed his head down against the bar table again. Steve rushed over to them and whispered, "Quiet! He can't understand a thing we say, I don't want to stress him out right now. Thor went to Asgard to see if he can find a way to communicate." Steve glanced over at Tony, who was watching them with guarded curiosity. "Please... if you can try to find a way to communicate that doesn't involve speaking, or writing or anything... I think he gets that this," Steve demonstrated it, "means that I don't understand."

            Bruce nodded and wandered over to Tony, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. Steve knew that Bruce and Tony were always close, so if anyone could figure out a way to talk with him, it would be Bruce.

            "How long do you think this will last?" Natasha asked, and Steve didn't like the way she seemed to be able to look right into his soul.

            "Thor seems to think that it'll last until Tony can sort something out," Steve said.

            "Or maybe someone else needs to sort something out, too," Natasha said, but before Steve could ask her what she meant by that Natasha had already walked over to join Bruce and Tony.

            "I think she's trying to tell you something there, Steve," Clint said, patting his shoulder before he followed after Natasha and Bruce.

            Steve just stared after them, because why would he need to sort anything out? He wasn't the one who was cursed. (Though if he was able to take the curse away, and make it so that _he_ was cursed instead of Tony, he would do that in a heartbeat.) Steve sighed and walked back over to where his team was gathered. The good thing was that Tony's head wasn't on the table anymore.

            "Why don't you try drawing pictures to talk to him?" Clint suggested, resting his chin on Bruce's shoulder. "Think that might work?"

            "That... sounds like a very good idea, actually," Bruce said, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. "Thanks. Steve, you're good at drawing, right? Get over here."

            Steve nodded and grabbed a pen and some paper. For the next several minutes, Steve sketched whatever his team told him to, and Tony seemed to vaguely understand by the way that he was nodding every now and again. Eventually Tony got frustrated and left the table, crashing down onto the couch, face first into the pillows. Steve followed him over to the couch, but he wasn't sure what to do. Tony murmured something and swatted a hand at him, which told Steve that he should _not_ sit down beside Tony and try to comfort him. That wasn't a good idea.

            Tony turned his head and stared over at him, almost like he was asking Steve a question. Steve was hesitant, but Tony didn't seem to mind when he sat down. In fact, Tony slid forward and pressed his face against Steve's thigh. Steve put a hand on Tony's head and gently stroked his fingers through Tony's hair. A smile crossed Tony's face, and Steve knew that he'd done the right thing.

            "Maybe we should stop for today," Bruce suggested. "I'll see if there's a way to reverse this with a little science, but if Thor went to Asgard to find an answer, I'm probably not going to find one. Think you can keep him busy, Steve? I don't think it would be a good idea to leave Tony alone right now."

            "I understand," Steve said, and his heart ached for his teammate. It wasn't even Tony's fault! They all kept secrets, and truth be told, Steve felt like he had a far worse time communicating than Tony, yet _Tony_ was the one who was cursed not to be able to communicate with anyone. And that wasn't fair, because _he hadn't done anything wrong_. Steve wanted to apologize to him, to try to comfort him, but all he was able to do was card his fingers through Tony's hair and watch as the genius relaxed a little.

            Tony murmured something, but then bit his lip, probably remembering that they couldn't talk to one another. A flash of pity shot through Steve, and he bit his lip too, wanting to console him but unable to.

            Steve stayed with Tony for a while, long after Tony fell asleep with his head on Steve's lap.

            "I'm sorry this happened to you," Steve whispered, brushing the hair out of Tony's face as gently as he could, not wanting to wake his cursed teammate. "I'm so sorry. I'll do anything I can to help you, I promise... you'll get through this. We all will."

 

            When Tony woke up, he almost freaked out. He wasn't sure where he was, but he definitely wasn't in his bed... and his head was _definitely_ on someone's lap. Tony _would've_ sat up and _moved away_ if whoever it was hadn't been running those amazing fingers through his hair. It felt so nice, just to be able to relax and get his scalp rubbed. Tony hummed happily and reached a hand up, gently tightening it around whoever's wrist. The man—it was pretty easy to tell that—responded by gently tilting Tony's head so that he was looking up at a smiling face.

            Steve, of course it was Steve. Tony grinned at him, trying to let him know that he was okay right now. Well, other than the whole "can't speak" thing. There was something about Steve's smile and eyes that was throwing Tony off—there was this _sadness_ that was really confusing. They were friends, yes, and Steve did 'Mother Hen' everyone, but it wasn't like he was _injured_. He just couldn't speak. Or understand anyone else.

            Steve glanced over at the doorway, and Tony followed his eyes. Bruce waved at them before he walked over. He and Steve said something to each other before Bruce knelt down beside Tony and gave him a knowing glance, tilting his head to the side. A question. Tony guessed it was an 'are you alright' or a 'how are you', so he just sighed and shrugged.

            Bruce frowned, eyes narrowing a bit. He sighed and patted Tony's shoulder before standing up. He murmured something else to Steve—Tony was so thankful they were staying quiet so that it wasn't too bothersome to him—before he headed over towards the kitchen. Steve gently rubbed Tony's arm to catch his attention before he pointed after Bruce, tilting his head in the same way that Bruce had.

            Tony nodded, hoping that Steve was asking something along the lines of 'do you want to get some food'. Stretching as he sat up, Tony carefully got to his feet. He yawned and looked around, noticing that the sun was going down. He was a bit startled when Steve took his hand, but the action definitely _did_ catch his attention. He was a bit ashamed to say that he tugged his hand away quickly, but then glanced down. Steve pointed to the kitchen again before he walked over in that direction, with Tony trailing after him. He kind of wanted to hold Steve's hand now.

            Tony headed straight over to the fridge to grab a bagel. Steve seemed to be constantly watching him, just making sure that he was going to be okay, probably. Tony tried not to be bothered by being constantly watched, but it felt like there was something itching his skin.

            The moment that he had a bagel picked out, he headed over to the table and settled down, not missing the way that Steve sat down _really_ close by. There wasn't an easy way to say 'you're crowding me' without using body language that would definitely say the wrong thing, so Tony just sat still and picked at his food, uncomfortable. It was too quiet, but if anyone spoke, it would be too _strange_. He hated this.

            Glancing around the table, Tony raised an eyebrow at his team when he noticed that they were all staring at him. The moment that he _noticed_ them staring at him, though, everyone looked away _way_ too quickly and way too obviously. Steve's face was turning red, too. Tony rolled his eyes and went back to his bagel.

            Clint murmured something when he walked into the kitchen, but then seemed to notice that Tony was there and instantly quieted down. Tony sighed and glared angrily at his friends—this was _not_ making the situation any better! Them staying silent was not helping a single thing, and it definitely wasn’t making him feel any better about _anything_ right now. Didn't they realize that he already felt bad enough about himself? This was making everything worse, and he had no idea of how to express that to anyone.

            Steve touched his shoulder, catching his attention. He looked concerned, and his head was tilted to the side. Tony frowned at him. He wished that he could just _tell_ them how he felt right now. At least before he could tell people not to stare at him, or not to stay so quiet. In fact, hearing even those weird alien words might be nice right now. When Tony glanced around again, he noticed how uncomfortable everyone looked. Huffing angrily, Tony stood up, snatched his bagel and stomped out of the room.

            If this was going to be how every moment would be until he managed to get his voice back, then he was _not_ going to be around the team that much. If they couldn't just ignore the fact that he couldn't talk to them...

 

            Steve was shocked when Tony stood up and was gone, looking _very_ angry. Staring after him, Steve was about to call after him until he realized that Tony wouldn't be able to understand what he was saying.

            "What's up with him?" Clint asked, raising an eyebrow at them.

            "I don't know," Steve mumbled. "I'd understand why he's a bit jumpy or anxious around us, but... I don't know why he's _mad_ at us."

            "I think he might be mad that he isn't able to _talk_ to us," Bruce said, but he didn't look so sure of that answer, either.

            "I think I need to go after him," Steve decided, standing up.

            "I think you do too," Clint muttered, focusing on his coffee. "He's not the only one who needs to learn how to communicate."

            "What's that supposed to mean?" Steve asked, frowning. Maybe the entire team needed to learn how to communicate better? But that didn't explain why _Tony_ was the only one who wasn't able to talk with them.

            "What I _mean_ is that you two are _extremely_ oblivious of each other’s feelings," Clint said. He got up and grabbed another coffee mug, handing it to Steve. "Might need this, I didn't see him get any yet. Perhaps if you two have a heart to heart about how _you're_ obviously in love with him, and _he's_ obviously in love with you, maybe it might speed up the whole 'Tony can't speak' thing."

            "I don't..." Arguing just didn't seem like the right thing to do. Both Bruce and Clint were staring at him, skeptical. Steve sighed. "Is it really that obvious?"

            "Yeah," Bruce said, and he was grinning. Steve frowned at him.

            "We've been wondering who was going to say what first, and I've got a bet with Natasha going on," Clint said. "Plus, if the spell was put on Tony due to lack of communication, then communication might be what could reverse it, right?"

            "But I can't... I can't _tell_ him anything," Steve said.

            Natasha chose that moment to walk into the kitchen. "Body language, Steve. Go. _Now_."

            Steve nodded, feeling a bit (a lot) intimidated. Clutching the cup of coffee, Steve scurried out of the room and headed over to where Tony had gone off to.  He wasn't hard to find, seeing that he couldn't get Jarvis to open up the lab since he couldn't talk to Jarvis. The poor genius was lying face down on the couch in the living room, so Steve decided to set the coffee mug on the coffee table instead of accidentally startling Tony.

            Unsure if Tony had heard him or not, Steve cleared his throat. Tony tilted his head to the side, looking so _defeated_ that it hurt. The brunet quickly moved to give Steve a chance to sit down beside him.

            It was awkward, yes, but Steve knew that his team was right. Maybe if he did talk with Tony about his feelings, Tony might be able to _talk_ again.

            Tony's face pinched up in a wondering look, and he rubbed his thumbs in a nervous way. Steve wasn't sure how he was supposed to continue with this. Not being able to talk was _really_ making this difficult. Steve bit his lip before he reached his hand slowly, carefully, around Tony's shoulders, which only seemed to elevate the poor genius's confusion. Tony was frowning, and he looked very out of place and nervous.

            Perhaps there was a better way to do this. Letting go of Tony's shoulders, Steve shifted so that he was sitting cross-legged on the couch, body turned towards Tony. He tapped Tony's leg and motioned towards the way he was sitting, wanting Tony to look at him. Maybe if they were looking one another eye-to-eye, things might go a little smoother, and maybe it would be a little easier to tell him.

            Tony still looked confused, but he shifted on the couch so that he was looking at Steve. Steve grinned at him, hoping that Tony wouldn't be as stressed. The way that his shoulders seemed to relax told Steve that he was right. Getting Tony to relax some was probably a great step.

            The only issue that Steve ever had with telling Tony before was that he was scared of losing his friendship with Tony if the man rejected him. That was one of the main reasons why he hadn't wanted to say anything. But, of course, that wasn't the only reason. Tony was _brilliant_. He was the smartest man that Steve had ever met, and while he did tease people about how much of a genius he was, he never treated people badly just because they weren't as smart as he was.

            He never treated Steve poorly because he didn't understand the technology of today. He was patient and kind as he taught Steve how to use all of the modern technology and advancements. Steve could never repay him for what he'd done. Tony had given him a home, even when they hadn't gotten along at first. He'd given the whole _team_ a home, a family. Life without Tony... would be impossible.

            Steve pressed a finger to his chest, trying to say "I."

            If he lost Tony, he wasn't sure what he'd do. He tried not to let it show how much he needed Tony, because he didn't want to chase him away.

            He then pressed a hand to his chest, right where his heart was.

            It was surprising to Steve how everyone was able to tell that he was in love with Tony _except_ for Tony.

            Then he pointed to his friend.

 

            Tony couldn't deny that he was a little annoyed with the fact that Steve followed him. He wanted to be able to just sit alone in the silence and sulk as much as he was able to. But then Steve was there, and he honestly couldn't complain because it was the silence that was driving him crazy.

            Steve looked nervous, and that stressed Tony out a bit. He wasn't quite sure why Steve was here, and he wasn't sure he really wanted to be comforted right now. He really just wanted to figure out how to be able to talk again, and he wasn't sure if he'd be able to figure out how to do that with Steve around. Not that he had a problem with Steve, no, he was just a little... distracting. Instead of thinking, Tony's eyes would always just wander over to him, and watch the way his hands moved when he was sketching, or the way his hair always flipped and flopped whenever he laughed too hard. And of course, Tony couldn't deny the time he spent he spent looking at Steve's body in general. A lot of people stared, and Tony was no exception.

            Tony eyed Steve warily as the super-soldier put his arm around Tony's shoulders. It was uncomfortable because Tony really wants there to be a reason why Steve would do that, and he _really_ just wants to lean against the blond and be comforted, but Steve looked just as uncomfortable as he felt, so Tony didn't do that.

            Steve let go of him, and Tony felt the hurt start to well up inside until he noticed that Steve had turned his entire body so that he could focus on Tony. When he motioned to himself, Tony guessed that he wanted him to do the same, so he complied. It was strange, staring directly at Steve, having his full focus and _not_ being able to talk to him.

            He knew that Steve was trying to communicate when the super-soldier pointed at himself.

            Definitely communicating. Maybe this would be a good way to help fix the whole 'can't talk' situation. Steve then placed his hand on his chest, above his heart. Tony raised an eyebrow at him, biting his tongue before he could ask Steve what that meant. Still couldn't speak.

            Then Steve pointed at him.

            Tony could feel his mouth drop open. There was no way that Steve said anything even _remotely_ close to 'I love you', because Steve definitely did not feel that way about him, and there was no reason why he should think otherwise. Steve was America's Golden Boy after all. He was good and kind and _perfect_ , really. Because that's just a part of who Steve was, and nothing was ever going to change that. There was no way that Steve could actually feel anything remotely close to love for him. Friendship, yes, because they were the best of friends. But love? No way.

            There was a look of panic on Steve's face. He repeated the motion, instead using the heart hand sign instead of putting his hand to his heart.

            Of course he had to just go and repeat that hand gesture again, didn't he? It wasn't enough that he couldn't actually believe something like that, he just had to 'say' it again.

            Then Steve just looked questioningly at him. Tony wasn't sure what to do. Instead he just laughed, because what else could he do? Steve didn't mean what he was saying, right? But then there was a hurt look on Steve's face, and Tony realized that if Steve really did mean what he said, then Tony would've just rejected him with _laughter_ right now. Tony quickly pointed at Steve, made a motion for 'no', made the heart hand sign, then pointed at himself. Steve's eyebrows furrowed, and a frown settled on his face. In response to the "you don't love me" that Tony had just told him, he repeated the "I love you" hand gestures again, a look of determination in his eyes.

            Tony scooted away from him, confused. He didn't deserve someone as wonderful as Steve, there was _no way_ that he was telling the truth. Steve quickly moved forward, though, wrapping Tony up in a tight hug. It was impossible not to just relax in Steve's grip and rest his head against the super-soldier's shoulder. Steve was the only one who was able to make him feel so happy, so vulnerable, so at _home_. He'd never really had a home before he invited the Avengers to live with him. They were his _family_ , and Tony wasn't sure if he'd ever had one of those before. A true family.

            When Steve released him from the hug, Tony moved back into the cross-legged sitting position before, an easy smile on his face. Steve looked hopeful and did the same. Tony then copied each of the movements that Steve had done, spelling out without words "I love you." It wasn't like it wasn't true, because he'd been in love with Captain America for years, but in the past several months he'd fallen in love with Steve Rogers, too.

            Steve grinned and leaned forward some. A little unsure, Tony copied his movement, letting his eyes flutter shut. And then Steve's lips were on his, soft and smooth and delicate, and for once he didn't feel like it was wrong that he should be allowed to kiss someone was wonderful as Steve Rogers.

            "I love you," Tony whispered when they parted, though they stayed pressed forehead to forehead.

            "I love you too," Steve whispered, a grin spreading across his face. That was the moment that Tony realized that he could _understand_ everything that Steve was saying. He almost _dove_ into Steve's arms, hugging him tight.

            "It worked," Steve murmured. "Open, honest communication with you _worked_. The team... they were thinking that if you and I were able to talk it out... have a heart to heart... then maybe we'd be able to talk again."

            "So do you really...?" Tony mumbled, looking up into Steve's eyes. He needed the truth.

            "Do you honestly think I'd say that if I didn't mean it?" Steve whispered, leaning forward to kiss Tony again. Tony hummed in contentment when Steve wrapped his arms around his waist.

            When they broke apart again, Steve leaned back a little and shouted, "Guys! He can talk again!"

            Tony chuckled to himself when the rest of the team came running into the room, all smiling. They seemed to understand what had just gone on, based on the way that Tony was currently sitting on Steve's lap, legs wrapped around the other man's waist, arms on his shoulders.

            " _Finally,_ " Clint said, breaking the silence. "I wasn't sure if this was ever going to happen! We should all be glad that you two have finally come to your senses and _talked it out_. Which just truly means that Natasha and Coulson both owe me a hundred bucks, right? Steve, you _did_ say "I love you first, right?"

            "Depends on what counts as an "I love you"," Steve replied. "I said it through hand motions when I wasn't able to talk to Tony, but Tony _verbally_ said it first. So it honestly just depends on what counts as an ‘I love you.’" There was an easygoing look on Steve's face when he added, "And haven't I already told you guys not to be making bets on your teammates? We're a _family_ , we don't make bets on one another! I swear, this isn't that I've had to say this! Does no one here ever listen to me?"

            "I listen," Tony murmured.

            "Except when I say 'I love you'," Steve pointed out. "When I say that, you just laugh in my face and tell me I don't really love you."

            "Oh come on, you can't really expect me to believe that you love me! I mean, now, I guess you can expect me to be able to believe that..." Tony mumbled. "Next time, I think just kissing me will get the point across, because if not I may just laugh again. And you don't want your feelings to be laughed at again, do you?"

            "Not really," Steve agreed. "But can you really expect a 'next time'? I really hope that this will _never_ happen again. Think we should try to contact Thor? He _did_ go to Asgard to try to find a way to reverse the spell," Steve pointed out. "He might like to know that you're okay again, Tony."

            "Field trip time!"


End file.
